The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the dolphin family and is considered the apex predator of the marine world. Killer whales are found in all the world’s oceans, though they prefer cooler temperate and Polar regions.
Killer whales become mature at 15 years of age. Females breed until the age of 40 and give birth to a single calf about once every five years. Calves nurse for up to two years and are dependent on their mother for the first 10 years of their lives. Calf mortality is high, and some studies indicate nearly half do not survive their first year.
Males typically range from 19-26 feet in length, while females are smaller, ranging from 16-23 feet. Females live for 50 years on average, but they can live up to 70-80 years of age. Males have shorter lifespans with an average of 30 years and maximum of 50-60 years.
In Alaska waters, two types or races of killer whales occur that differ from each other in several respects.
Resident killer whales subsist on fish and are known to visit the same areas consistently. They travel in large pods and form lifelong family bonds. Pods are matrilineal, composed of a female and her offspring. Males leave the pod for short periods to mate outside their maternal group, but otherwise spend their entire lives with their mothers. All pod members, including males, care for the young.
Transient killer whales feed on marine mammals and travel in smaller, less structured pods. Transient and resident killer whales inhabit the same waters but do not intermix.
Offshore killer whales are the third and least understood group. They roam the open ocean and feed primarily on fish, sharks and sea turtles.
There are also three distinct races of killer whales in the Antarctic. Type A killer whales live in open water and feed on minke whales. Type B killer whales inhabit inshore waters and feed mainly on seals. Type C killer whales live mainly in pack ice and feed on fish.
The debate as to whether or not the different types of killer whales comprise separate species is ongoing. Although transients and residents could theoretically interbreed, genetic studies indicate they have not done so for thousands of years. Presently, each race is identified as a distinct ecotype.
Killer whales are highly vocal in communicating with each other. Residents are especially so, and each pod has its own distinct dialect.
Individual killer whales can be identified by noting differences in the dorsal fins or saddle patches. By cataloguing individual killer whales, researchers are better able to trace their movements.
The killer whales we see in Kodiak waters roam the northern Gulf of Alaska waters. In summer, resident killer whales throng to Kodiak in pursuit of salmon, forming megapods of 100 to 150 animals.
maandag 30 maart 2009
woensdag 25 maart 2009
Hundreds of killer whales seen in Gulf of Mexico
It was a fish story that even veteran boat captains found fascinating: As many as 200 killer whales feeding on tuna in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
"It was like being at Sea World because they'd come right up to the boat," said Eddie Hall, captain of the Shady Lady, the 60-foot charter boat that spotted the shiny black sea beasts with white eye patches and undersides. "It was pretty neat."
It was also hard for some skeptics to believe: Orcas, as killer whales are also known, typically are thought to live in cold water and eat seals.
But Hall's description of what he saw last Oct. 31 was no tall tale: A government biologist who saw video taken from Hall's boat confirmed the captain had spotted the creatures. And last week that same scientist, Keith Mullin, explained at a public meeting in Orange Beach, Ala., that yes, contrary to common perceptions, killer whales really do live in the Gulf, far from land.
Mullin, whose outfit has been working for years to get an accurate count of the Gulf's whale population, said it may be time to dramatically increase estimates on how many killer whales are lurking in the deep waters off the Gulf Coast. He's taking part in a research expedition this summer that could determine if his hunch is right.
Scientists believe the whales have been in the Gulf for years, Mullin said, and that their presence _ though startling to some anglers _ isn't a sign of climate change or other manmade condition. Their relatively small population and the speed at which pods move make them difficult to count, which could have led to lower estimates.
"I've got good records of them in the Caribbean. We see them almost exclusively in deep water, 600 feet and more," Mullin said. "I think they've always been there. It's just in the last 15 to 20 years that we've been trying to study them."
Hall told The Associated Press on Monday that the Shady Lady was 95 miles off the coast of Alabama when anglers and crew saw scores of the marine mammals feeding near an offshore rig in water more than a mile deep.
"There were four different pods. We estimated there were about 200 maximum. One pod had 75 in it," said Hall, who runs charters out of Zeke's Landing in Orange Beach, about 40 miles east of Mobile.
People on the boat took video and photos, including some with the offshore rig in the background to identify their location. But Hall said they got laughed off the dock when they returned.
"It was a joke because no one would believe us," he said.
Hall sent photos and video to Gary Finch, whose Fairhope-based Gary Finch Outdoors company produces a syndicated fishing and hunting television show. Finch then showed them to Mullin, who works at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Pascagoula, Miss., an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that researches marine life.
Mullin didn't have to look twice: Hall was right about seeing killer whales, although he couldn't tell by the video how many were near Hall's boat, he said in an interview with AP.
The Shady Lady sighting "created a stir" over killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico, Mullin said; about 80 people attended the informational meeting he held in Orange Beach last week.
Gulf orcas are just like the ones that live in cold water, Mullin said, save for their diet of dolphin and tuna instead of seals. Male killer whales average 20 feet in length and weigh as much as 12,000 pounds, but females are smaller.
Fifteen groups of killer whales have been sighted in the Gulf since deep-water surveys began in 1992, he said. Past estimates have varied widely, from a low of 49 to a high of 277 living in the Gulf north of a line extending from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas.
The actual number of killer whales in the Gulf could be closer to 500, Mullin said, and a two-month expedition this summer could help nail down an answer. The trip was planned independently of the boat's sighting, he said.
Either way, Hall's glad Mullin's outfit is involved. He knew what he saw, but he was still happy to get confirmation that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
"It was like being at Sea World because they'd come right up to the boat," said Eddie Hall, captain of the Shady Lady, the 60-foot charter boat that spotted the shiny black sea beasts with white eye patches and undersides. "It was pretty neat."
It was also hard for some skeptics to believe: Orcas, as killer whales are also known, typically are thought to live in cold water and eat seals.
But Hall's description of what he saw last Oct. 31 was no tall tale: A government biologist who saw video taken from Hall's boat confirmed the captain had spotted the creatures. And last week that same scientist, Keith Mullin, explained at a public meeting in Orange Beach, Ala., that yes, contrary to common perceptions, killer whales really do live in the Gulf, far from land.
Mullin, whose outfit has been working for years to get an accurate count of the Gulf's whale population, said it may be time to dramatically increase estimates on how many killer whales are lurking in the deep waters off the Gulf Coast. He's taking part in a research expedition this summer that could determine if his hunch is right.
Scientists believe the whales have been in the Gulf for years, Mullin said, and that their presence _ though startling to some anglers _ isn't a sign of climate change or other manmade condition. Their relatively small population and the speed at which pods move make them difficult to count, which could have led to lower estimates.
"I've got good records of them in the Caribbean. We see them almost exclusively in deep water, 600 feet and more," Mullin said. "I think they've always been there. It's just in the last 15 to 20 years that we've been trying to study them."
Hall told The Associated Press on Monday that the Shady Lady was 95 miles off the coast of Alabama when anglers and crew saw scores of the marine mammals feeding near an offshore rig in water more than a mile deep.
"There were four different pods. We estimated there were about 200 maximum. One pod had 75 in it," said Hall, who runs charters out of Zeke's Landing in Orange Beach, about 40 miles east of Mobile.
People on the boat took video and photos, including some with the offshore rig in the background to identify their location. But Hall said they got laughed off the dock when they returned.
"It was a joke because no one would believe us," he said.
Hall sent photos and video to Gary Finch, whose Fairhope-based Gary Finch Outdoors company produces a syndicated fishing and hunting television show. Finch then showed them to Mullin, who works at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Pascagoula, Miss., an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that researches marine life.
Mullin didn't have to look twice: Hall was right about seeing killer whales, although he couldn't tell by the video how many were near Hall's boat, he said in an interview with AP.
The Shady Lady sighting "created a stir" over killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico, Mullin said; about 80 people attended the informational meeting he held in Orange Beach last week.
Gulf orcas are just like the ones that live in cold water, Mullin said, save for their diet of dolphin and tuna instead of seals. Male killer whales average 20 feet in length and weigh as much as 12,000 pounds, but females are smaller.
Fifteen groups of killer whales have been sighted in the Gulf since deep-water surveys began in 1992, he said. Past estimates have varied widely, from a low of 49 to a high of 277 living in the Gulf north of a line extending from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas.
The actual number of killer whales in the Gulf could be closer to 500, Mullin said, and a two-month expedition this summer could help nail down an answer. The trip was planned independently of the boat's sighting, he said.
Either way, Hall's glad Mullin's outfit is involved. He knew what he saw, but he was still happy to get confirmation that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
dinsdag 17 maart 2009
Federal government protects orca habitat
A new federal government order to protect critical killer whale habitat off B.C.'s coast is being hailed as a major victory by environmental groups.
Until now, Ottawa had been reluctant to regulate orca protection under Canada's Species At Risk Act – it instead argued the whales' habitat was adequately protected under existing laws and regulations.
But that has changed after a coalition of groups, led by Ecojustice, went to court alleging the government shirked its duties under the act.
"It's the very first time the federal government has issued an order protecting critical habitat," said Ecojustice staff lawyer Lara Tessaro.
The area defined as critical habitat for southern resident killer whales covers much of the Strait of Georgia off the Lower Mainland, running through the Gulf Islands and up the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Much now depends on what specific measures the federal government sets out to prevent the destruction of the defined orca habitat.
If environmentalists get their way, it could mean much more stringent regulations governing toxic contamination, boat traffic and perhaps even the allocation of salmon stocks.
They cite findings that noise disturbances such as those from seismic testing, submarine sonar and even surface vessels can seriously impact killer whales.
Tessaro said shipping lanes could be designated within the affected waters – as was done on the east coast to protect right whales.
"There's no reason in theory that British Columbia cannot do the same."
And she suggested the measures may require a hard look at whale watching tour boats.
"There are a vast array of activities in Georgia Strait that pose a threat to whales," Tessaro said. "Whale watching vessels cause whales to use their energy very differently. They have to expend twice the energy to get where they're going if they're being blocked."
Tessaro also hopes the order means accelerated timetables to build improved plants to treat sewage from Metro Vancouver and Victoria.
“To give this order teeth, DFO must keep killer whales’ critical habitat free of tanker traffic and the risk of catastrophic oil spills,” added Will Horter of Dogwood Initiative.
Fears for the southern resident killer whales hit a new high over the past year following the discovery seven adults and calfs of the group had died recently reducing their numbers to about 85.
Scientists had pointed to signs of malnourishment, perhaps as a result of dwindling salmon stocks in recent years.
But good news arrived last week when two newborn killer whales were spotted.
Until now, Ottawa had been reluctant to regulate orca protection under Canada's Species At Risk Act – it instead argued the whales' habitat was adequately protected under existing laws and regulations.
But that has changed after a coalition of groups, led by Ecojustice, went to court alleging the government shirked its duties under the act.
"It's the very first time the federal government has issued an order protecting critical habitat," said Ecojustice staff lawyer Lara Tessaro.
The area defined as critical habitat for southern resident killer whales covers much of the Strait of Georgia off the Lower Mainland, running through the Gulf Islands and up the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Much now depends on what specific measures the federal government sets out to prevent the destruction of the defined orca habitat.
If environmentalists get their way, it could mean much more stringent regulations governing toxic contamination, boat traffic and perhaps even the allocation of salmon stocks.
They cite findings that noise disturbances such as those from seismic testing, submarine sonar and even surface vessels can seriously impact killer whales.
Tessaro said shipping lanes could be designated within the affected waters – as was done on the east coast to protect right whales.
"There's no reason in theory that British Columbia cannot do the same."
And she suggested the measures may require a hard look at whale watching tour boats.
"There are a vast array of activities in Georgia Strait that pose a threat to whales," Tessaro said. "Whale watching vessels cause whales to use their energy very differently. They have to expend twice the energy to get where they're going if they're being blocked."
Tessaro also hopes the order means accelerated timetables to build improved plants to treat sewage from Metro Vancouver and Victoria.
“To give this order teeth, DFO must keep killer whales’ critical habitat free of tanker traffic and the risk of catastrophic oil spills,” added Will Horter of Dogwood Initiative.
Fears for the southern resident killer whales hit a new high over the past year following the discovery seven adults and calfs of the group had died recently reducing their numbers to about 85.
Scientists had pointed to signs of malnourishment, perhaps as a result of dwindling salmon stocks in recent years.
But good news arrived last week when two newborn killer whales were spotted.
vrijdag 13 maart 2009
Sausalito boat tour spots rare killer whale pod off Farallones
Whale watchers on a Sausalito-based sightseeing boat spotted a rare pod of killer whales near the Farallon Islands that was likely in search of food 800 miles from home.
The pod of about 40 orcas - which usually stays in the waters off Washington and British Columbia - was spotted last Saturday by a group on an SF Bay Whale Watching boat 19 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"We were heading back in and all of a sudden the captain shouted 'orca!'" said Fairfax naturalist Trish Mirabella, who was with 50 sightseers. "Then the next thing you know we are surrounded by black dorsal fins. They were jumping out of the water, poking their heads out. It was amazing."
Two newborn calves were also seen among the Farallones group, she said.
"These are resident killer whales," Mirabella said. "They do not migrate; to see them here was rare."
These resident orcas normally feed on salmon, but the fish are scarce, forcing the whales to forage hundreds of miles from traditional feeding grounds, said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
She said a researcher in the Northwest, an expert on specific orca pods, identified the Farallones visitors as the L pod, known to inhabit the waters off Washington and British Columbia.
The black-and-white mammals, which can grow up to 30 feet and weigh as much as 12,000 pounds, are the largest species of the dolphin family and are considered highly social and intelligent creatures.
They can live to age 50 and beyond. Pods are social groups, often related to one another, Schramm said.
Resident killer whales prey on fish and occasionally sharks, and one orca alone can eat up to 500 pounds of food a day.
"They are pack hunters; the cheetahs of the ocean," Schramm said.
Another seven transient killer whales, which travel in small groups instead of a large pod, were seen Friday morning off the Half Moon Bay coast by researchers with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
"They were chasing a harbor seal that took refuge under our research boat until they left the area," Schramm said.
While resident killer whales generally feed only on fish, transients almost exclusively hunt other marine mammals.
"They are probably after the gray whales," said Sausalito resident Vern Bryant, who operates SF Bay Whale Watching. "I see them maybe once a year."
Said Schramm: "It's likely that they are here looking for newborn gray whale calves and trying to separate them from their mothers."
Gray whales are in the midst of their northern migration, which takes them some 10,000 miles each year - the longest of any mammal. The grays migrate from the Bering and Chukchi seas off Siberia and Alaska in the winter to the warmer climate of Baja California, where some give birth.
Now they are migrating back to Alaska and are tired and weak as they make the journey, sometimes swimming 20 hours a day, and they are vulnerable.
"Some of the transient killer whales lie in wait for the gray whales," Schramm said. "They attack not only gray whales, but seals, sea lions, even blue whales."
The pod of about 40 orcas - which usually stays in the waters off Washington and British Columbia - was spotted last Saturday by a group on an SF Bay Whale Watching boat 19 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"We were heading back in and all of a sudden the captain shouted 'orca!'" said Fairfax naturalist Trish Mirabella, who was with 50 sightseers. "Then the next thing you know we are surrounded by black dorsal fins. They were jumping out of the water, poking their heads out. It was amazing."
Two newborn calves were also seen among the Farallones group, she said.
"These are resident killer whales," Mirabella said. "They do not migrate; to see them here was rare."
These resident orcas normally feed on salmon, but the fish are scarce, forcing the whales to forage hundreds of miles from traditional feeding grounds, said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
She said a researcher in the Northwest, an expert on specific orca pods, identified the Farallones visitors as the L pod, known to inhabit the waters off Washington and British Columbia.
The black-and-white mammals, which can grow up to 30 feet and weigh as much as 12,000 pounds, are the largest species of the dolphin family and are considered highly social and intelligent creatures.
They can live to age 50 and beyond. Pods are social groups, often related to one another, Schramm said.
Resident killer whales prey on fish and occasionally sharks, and one orca alone can eat up to 500 pounds of food a day.
"They are pack hunters; the cheetahs of the ocean," Schramm said.
Another seven transient killer whales, which travel in small groups instead of a large pod, were seen Friday morning off the Half Moon Bay coast by researchers with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
"They were chasing a harbor seal that took refuge under our research boat until they left the area," Schramm said.
While resident killer whales generally feed only on fish, transients almost exclusively hunt other marine mammals.
"They are probably after the gray whales," said Sausalito resident Vern Bryant, who operates SF Bay Whale Watching. "I see them maybe once a year."
Said Schramm: "It's likely that they are here looking for newborn gray whale calves and trying to separate them from their mothers."
Gray whales are in the midst of their northern migration, which takes them some 10,000 miles each year - the longest of any mammal. The grays migrate from the Bering and Chukchi seas off Siberia and Alaska in the winter to the warmer climate of Baja California, where some give birth.
Now they are migrating back to Alaska and are tired and weak as they make the journey, sometimes swimming 20 hours a day, and they are vulnerable.
"Some of the transient killer whales lie in wait for the gray whales," Schramm said. "They attack not only gray whales, but seals, sea lions, even blue whales."
donderdag 12 maart 2009
Killer whales taking over
Hungry orcas could change the way of life in Hudson Bay
Scientists fear melting sea ice could one day make killer whales the Hudson Bay's top predator, a startling ecosystem shift and a blow for Inuit populations already suffering from dwindling polar bear numbers.
After four years of studying the Arctic's little-known orcas, researchers have more evidence that their numbers have gone up in recent decades, a change that's particularly noticeable in the western Hudson Bay bordering Manitoba.
"That area had never seen killer whales, despite all the commercial whaling that went on for centuries," said Steve Ferguson, a Winnipeg-based research scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. "There's no record of them."
Scientists also believe orcas in the Arctic feed on other mammals, not fish, which could spell trouble for potential prey such as beluga whales and narwhals -- as well as the Inuit who depend on them for subsistence hunting.
Ferguson and his team of graduate students began investigating the Arctic's orcas in 2005. The study receives close to $100,000 a year, provided mostly by the government of Nunavut.
So far, Ferguson said, the data has confirmed for researchers what northerners have said all along.
"They found this almost exponential increase in sightings," particularly in the Hudson Bay, he said.
"It really surprised us, and confirmed what the traditional knowledge was, that there's more killer whales."
The western Hudson Bay has had about 40 orca sightings since 2000, 10 of them in the last two years.
That's compared to just half a dozen sightings in all of the 1990s, and the same number in the 1980s. Before the 1940s, there were no accounts of orcas in the area, said Ferguson.
Along with the database of sightings, researchers have identified 67 individual whales by carefully scrutinizing photos snapped by northern residents, guides and researchers over the past four years.
That might not seem like a lot, said Ferguson, but it proves the appearance of orcas is no fluke. He said there are likely more of the cetaceans in the vast northern waters.
Ferguson said the increase in Arctic orcas is likely due to a loss of sea ice in the Hudson Strait going back to the 1940s, which allowed animals to enter the Hudson Bay more easily.
Sea ice loss has already caused problems for polar bear populations, and it's bad news for marine mammals like belugas, narwhals and bowhead whales, which rely on ice to evade orcas.
"As they lose the ice, they're going to lose protection," Ferguson said.
Local hunters and elders are adamant that orcas in the Arctic feed on other whales and seals, said Ferguson, unlike the fish-eating variety typically kept in aquariums. He said he hopes that information can be confirmed by studying growth rings on killer whale teeth.
Most killer whales show up in northern Canada in August and leave again in September, said Ferguson, but scientists don't yet know where they go in winter.
Scientists fear melting sea ice could one day make killer whales the Hudson Bay's top predator, a startling ecosystem shift and a blow for Inuit populations already suffering from dwindling polar bear numbers.
After four years of studying the Arctic's little-known orcas, researchers have more evidence that their numbers have gone up in recent decades, a change that's particularly noticeable in the western Hudson Bay bordering Manitoba.
"That area had never seen killer whales, despite all the commercial whaling that went on for centuries," said Steve Ferguson, a Winnipeg-based research scientist with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. "There's no record of them."
Scientists also believe orcas in the Arctic feed on other mammals, not fish, which could spell trouble for potential prey such as beluga whales and narwhals -- as well as the Inuit who depend on them for subsistence hunting.
Ferguson and his team of graduate students began investigating the Arctic's orcas in 2005. The study receives close to $100,000 a year, provided mostly by the government of Nunavut.
So far, Ferguson said, the data has confirmed for researchers what northerners have said all along.
"They found this almost exponential increase in sightings," particularly in the Hudson Bay, he said.
"It really surprised us, and confirmed what the traditional knowledge was, that there's more killer whales."
The western Hudson Bay has had about 40 orca sightings since 2000, 10 of them in the last two years.
That's compared to just half a dozen sightings in all of the 1990s, and the same number in the 1980s. Before the 1940s, there were no accounts of orcas in the area, said Ferguson.
Along with the database of sightings, researchers have identified 67 individual whales by carefully scrutinizing photos snapped by northern residents, guides and researchers over the past four years.
That might not seem like a lot, said Ferguson, but it proves the appearance of orcas is no fluke. He said there are likely more of the cetaceans in the vast northern waters.
Ferguson said the increase in Arctic orcas is likely due to a loss of sea ice in the Hudson Strait going back to the 1940s, which allowed animals to enter the Hudson Bay more easily.
Sea ice loss has already caused problems for polar bear populations, and it's bad news for marine mammals like belugas, narwhals and bowhead whales, which rely on ice to evade orcas.
"As they lose the ice, they're going to lose protection," Ferguson said.
Local hunters and elders are adamant that orcas in the Arctic feed on other whales and seals, said Ferguson, unlike the fish-eating variety typically kept in aquariums. He said he hopes that information can be confirmed by studying growth rings on killer whale teeth.
Most killer whales show up in northern Canada in August and leave again in September, said Ferguson, but scientists don't yet know where they go in winter.
dinsdag 10 maart 2009
Orca babies healthy, including Free Willy's
The third newborn killer whale spotted in the Puget Sound area within the past month looks healthy and energetic, a hopeful sign after a spate of orca deaths last year.
The two previous newborns -- including an offspring of one of the whales featured in the "Free Willy" movies -- also are looking good, according to Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island
It is unusual to identify three newborn calves among the three Puget Sound pods in one year, especially in the winter when the animals are frequently traveling in the Pacific Ocean, he said.
News of the three births comes as a positive development among some serious setbacks for the population, which now stands at about 85.
Seven orcas, including adults and calves, turned up missing and were presumed dead last year. Also missing since October is L-57, or Faith, the most recognizable of the 19 whales that visited Dyes Inlet in 1997.
The newest calf, J-45, was identified February 3 as the offspring of J-14, named Samish. The 34-year-old mother gave birth to another calf, J-43, two years ago, but it did not survive its first winter.
Balcomb said the calf that died looked kind of "sickly" after it was born.
"This calf (J-45) looks much better than J-43 -- more filled out," he said.
Samish, the mom, has three other surviving offspring. She comes from one of the most interesting family groups among the three Puget Sound pods. Ruffles (J-1), the oldest male in all three pods, is her great uncle. Granny (J-2), the oldest female, is her grandmother.
Two other newborn calves, first spotted in February, also are doing well. The calf J-44 has been confirmed as the offspring of J-17, known as Princess Angeline, a 32-year-old female.
Named for Chief Seattle's daughter, Princess Angeline was one of the orcas featured in the "Free Willy" movies, according to The Whale Museum. She has two daughters.
The calf L-112 has been confirmed as the second offspring of L-86, named Surprise! She got her name because of the 14-year gap between her and her older sister, Ophelia. Surprise!'s first calf, Pooka, was born in 2005.
Killer whales are given names by The Whale Museum after they survive at least one year. The first year is usually the toughest, as the young animals must put on size and weight while keeping up with their fast-moving groups.
The food supply for the orcas, mainly chinook salmon, has been a concern the past few years. Puget Sound chinook are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
The two previous newborns -- including an offspring of one of the whales featured in the "Free Willy" movies -- also are looking good, according to Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island
It is unusual to identify three newborn calves among the three Puget Sound pods in one year, especially in the winter when the animals are frequently traveling in the Pacific Ocean, he said.
News of the three births comes as a positive development among some serious setbacks for the population, which now stands at about 85.
Seven orcas, including adults and calves, turned up missing and were presumed dead last year. Also missing since October is L-57, or Faith, the most recognizable of the 19 whales that visited Dyes Inlet in 1997.
The newest calf, J-45, was identified February 3 as the offspring of J-14, named Samish. The 34-year-old mother gave birth to another calf, J-43, two years ago, but it did not survive its first winter.
Balcomb said the calf that died looked kind of "sickly" after it was born.
"This calf (J-45) looks much better than J-43 -- more filled out," he said.
Samish, the mom, has three other surviving offspring. She comes from one of the most interesting family groups among the three Puget Sound pods. Ruffles (J-1), the oldest male in all three pods, is her great uncle. Granny (J-2), the oldest female, is her grandmother.
Two other newborn calves, first spotted in February, also are doing well. The calf J-44 has been confirmed as the offspring of J-17, known as Princess Angeline, a 32-year-old female.
Named for Chief Seattle's daughter, Princess Angeline was one of the orcas featured in the "Free Willy" movies, according to The Whale Museum. She has two daughters.
The calf L-112 has been confirmed as the second offspring of L-86, named Surprise! She got her name because of the 14-year gap between her and her older sister, Ophelia. Surprise!'s first calf, Pooka, was born in 2005.
Killer whales are given names by The Whale Museum after they survive at least one year. The first year is usually the toughest, as the young animals must put on size and weight while keeping up with their fast-moving groups.
The food supply for the orcas, mainly chinook salmon, has been a concern the past few years. Puget Sound chinook are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Orcas swim from Puget Sound to Monterey in 11 days
FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. -- A group of killer whales recently swam from Puget Sound to Monterey Bay, Calif., - nearly 1,000 miles - in 11 days.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor says, "They were really scooting."
The Kitsap Sun reports members of L pod were photographed in the sound on Feb. 20 and in Monterey Bay March 3. They traveled about 90 miles a day or about 4 miles per hour.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor says, "They were really scooting."
The Kitsap Sun reports members of L pod were photographed in the sound on Feb. 20 and in Monterey Bay March 3. They traveled about 90 miles a day or about 4 miles per hour.
donderdag 5 maart 2009
Third baby orca spotted near San Juan Islands
The Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island says a new baby orca has been born, the third Puget Sound baby killer whale spotted this year.
Ken Balcomb of the Center says the whale looks healthy. The baby orca, part of the J-pod family group and named J45, was first seen Tuesday in Haro Strait.
Two other baby orcas were also spotted in the past month. They were named J44 and L112.
Balcomb says it's a good sign for a population that suffered a decline last year when seven whales went missing and are presumed dead.
But he says it doesn't resolve the larger problem of lack of food that the whales still face.
Ken Balcomb of the Center says the whale looks healthy. The baby orca, part of the J-pod family group and named J45, was first seen Tuesday in Haro Strait.
Two other baby orcas were also spotted in the past month. They were named J44 and L112.
Balcomb says it's a good sign for a population that suffered a decline last year when seven whales went missing and are presumed dead.
But he says it doesn't resolve the larger problem of lack of food that the whales still face.
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